


Stuck On You

by IncompetentDilboDastard



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Timelines, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Light Angst, Multi, Mutual Pining, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, a kind of fast slow burn, danse is confused, godless heathens!, heavy smut, nora is confused, will they be confused together?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2020-03-06 07:42:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18846631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncompetentDilboDastard/pseuds/IncompetentDilboDastard
Summary: Danse miraculously crosses paths with a mysterious woman who can’t seem to stay away for too long. She offers to help him get back on his feet- and in the process they both discover what it means to survive with someone else beside them. Even with all the troubles along the way.





	1. Chapter 1

Danse was struggling to fight off a swarm of mirelurks that migrated out of the waters near his camp. He had been low on ammo for days at this point but figured he could hold off long enough to get to Diamond City. He’d gone through all of his food rations and was forced to hunt for his meals which was how he ended up in this predicament. He was aware of the risks of traveling so far east however the chances of him running into rouge Institute coursers or angry brotherhood soldiers in the midst of some dispute with Nuka World raiders were much higher and much more dangerous than mirelurks, he figured. He did not realize just how unprepared he was for conflict however, his recent depression taking an unexpected toll on his abilities as a soldier.

  
Landing a deadly shot directly in the soft underbelly of a mirelurk barreling towards him, he hardly had enough time to react before the second was clamping a claw around his leg and pulling him to the ground with a thud. He struggled to reload his laser rifle before the mutated crustacean could do any more damage to him.    
  
_ How the hell did he let a few mirelurks overpower him? _   
  
The smell of stagnant water and blood filled his senses, coupled with the overwhelming pain of his pinched limb. The Mirelurk raised his claw high and in what he regarded as a miraculous stroke of serendipity, a bullet whizzed past his head and straight between the disgusting eyes of his attacker. It took a minute for him to realize what had happened but eventually he recovered and pushed the creature off of his body and turned to meet his savior. The pain emanating from his leg blurred his vision as his eyes struggled to make out the form before him.   
  
“Are you alright?” Came the figure’s muffled voice. They were wearing a mask and underneath their ragged robes- a vault suit? The figure approached him with an outstretched hand which he gladly took and limped onto his unscathed leg. “One of my settlements is nearby, the people there can help you with that leg. It’s a short walk, don’t worry.” Their hand was small and pale, nails filled with grit.   
  
Danse was still too shaken up to fully grasp what was happening. What was wrong with him? He was a soldier- no, not a soldier anymore. Spending months in that bunker with no practice in combat had certainly done a number on him. He wasn’t nearly as experienced as he used to be.   _ I shouldn’t be taking help _ , he thought.  _ I don’t deserve it. This is pathetic. What’s wrong with me?  _   
  
He told himself to refuse the help, but his leg told him otherwise. It hurt like a bitch and he knew he didn’t have the proper supplies at his camp to mend it on his own. Ahead of him a collection of shabby buildings came into view, surrounded by large walls and heavily armed with turrets and guard posts. The figure supporting most of his weight waved ahead toward a settler guarding the front gates and assured him they were almost there and that someone named Josephine would be there to help him.   
  
He couldn’t remember blacking out but everything between then and when he woke up to a dimly lit room with minimal furnishings and bandages around his leg was a blur. He seemed to be alone in the room and sat up to get a better look at his surroundings. There was a dresser to his right where a photograph of a family at the beach was propped up against a small pot of over-watered flowers. There was a faint glow accompanied by soft classical music coming from the radio next to it. Before he had a chance to get up and investigate the room further, a woman emerged through the small door in the left corner of the room.   
  
Clad in a blue vault suit and combat armor, Danse could only assume she was the person who helped him here. Her dark locks swayed just below her waistline as she walked towards the dresser with a pair of clothes in hand. Danse attempted to speak but voice his voice was dry and scratchy. The woman’s attention was brought to his conscious form. “Oh, you’re awake! I’m sorry I just came to bring some clean clothes for you, I adjusted them myself so hopefully they will fit.” She said before making her retreat. Danse recognized her voice though now it was much clearer.   
  
“Wait!” He called after her, confused by the lack of an explanation. She stopped in her tracks and turned to face him.   
  
“Yes?” She asked quietly.   
  
“What- Where am I?” He could help but chuckle slightly at her cluelessness to his confusion. She looked at him for a moment as if pondering whether or not she should hold him captive.   
  
“Oh! You must not remember what happened, of course. Please excuse my manners, I’m not at all used to this sort of thing.” She walked back towards him and sat in a chair next to him. “I saw you get attacked by mirelurks and I brought you here because one got your leg and I didn’t want you to bleed out or something because you didn’t seem hostile and I figured ‘I’ve got time.’ Even though I didn’t even have time to change out of my costume.” She spoke quickly in a run on sentence as if she indeed did not have time.   
  
“Right.” Danse breathed, slightly perplexed by the peculiarity of it all.   
  
“Josephine fixed up your leg, she’s a doctor. She said there was a lot of radiation in it and she had to give you some stitches but otherwise you should be able to walk within a day or so. And, I apologize but she couldn’t save your suit. I asked her not to tear it but she said she had to get to the wound and she didn’t feel like completely declothing you.” She explained. Danse thought for a moment she was being sarcastic but she seemed genuinely troubled that his flight suit was torn- which he himself couldn’t find any less amusing, especially because he was entirely sure ‘declothing’ was not a word.   
  
“That’s fine. I’ve been long overdue for a change of clothing. Thank you for your help.” Danse said.   
  
“Oh please, do not thank me! Josephine did all the work. All I did was walk you here.” She said. Suddenly Danse remembered the bullet that barely missed his head and hit the mirelurk square in the face.   
  
“Who shot the mirelurk?” Danse asked expectantly.    
  
“Shot the mirelurk? You must be remembering things wrong, my Halloween costume scared it away!” She said. Danse laughed at her. She had to be joking. She seemed to take offense at his laughter and quickly added, “Well I’m not wearing it right now! But I was then.”    
  
Danse was bemused. “I remember distinctly a bullet missing my head by just an inch to find it landed straight in the mirelurk’s skull. Whoever killed it must’ve had a well aimed shot.”   
  
The woman seemed to redden and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset you. One of the guards here shot the mirelurk while I came to help you up.”   
  
Danse got the sense that she was still lying to him but decided to let it go. After a beat of silence between the two the woman got up to leave. Before she could go too far Danse grabbed her wrist. She whipped her head around in surprise. “I didn’t catch your name.” He said plainly. She seemed to brighten up as if she was waiting for the question her whole life.   
  
“I’m Nora.” She smiled down to him and slipped out of his grasp.   
  
Nora.


	2. A Bolt From The Blue

Danse emerged from the small house he’d stayed in the past 24 hours to be welcomed with the blinding brightness of the sun. He could feel a headache already forming as his eyes adjusted to the harsh light. Ahead of him, down a small slope was a greenhouse filled with a dozen or so civilians. He could see the woman- Nora helping two children hang up some sort of decorations on the greenhouse walls. She had changed back into her strange robes which seemed to match the outfits of the two children.    
  
It had been a strange 24 hours.   
  
He made his way down to the trio and was  even more confused by their greeting. They turned around and- hissed at him? A muffled voice came from the smaller of the two children. “I vant to suck your blood!” He seemed to say.    
  
Danse was utterly confused. “W-What?” He stammered, eyebrows tightly knitted. Laughter erupted amongst the three that seemed to last an eternity while Danse stood there dazed. Nora was the first to compose herself as she pulled the mask off revealing her reddened face.   
  
“We’re vampires!” She declared pulling her lips back to reveal small little fangs. This cleared nothing up for Danse and only confused him further. She seemed to pick up on his confusion. For once. “For halloween!” She stated, throwing up her arms, hoping it would click for him.   
  
It did not.   
  
“Vampires? What’s that?” Danse said. At that it seemed Nora’s eyes were in danger of falling out of her skull. She looked between the two children as if flabbergasted by his response.   
  
“Oh wow. I thought these two just didn’t know because they’re so young, and I did have my doubts when the others didn’t seem amused by our costumes. I guess it never crossed my mind that people forgot about vampires. Well that’s disappointing.” She explained. “Halloween must be incredibly dull nowadays.”

Danse was beginning to detest this strange woman and her habit of making him feel like he woke up on a different planet. “Have you not lived here long?” He asked her. She bit her lip and shooed off the children as if her answer was something explicit.   
  
“Well actually I’ve lived here for quite a while. But I’ve only actually lived here for about half a year now I think.” She said simply as if her answer made any sense.   
  
“I apologize if I appear incompetent but could you please elaborate?” He said hoping his frustration wouldn’t seep through. Her eyes widened impossibly again, this time as if he had offended her.   
  
“Incompetent? Nonsense! Of course I will elaborate, but it is a long story. You might want to grab a chair and some popcorn.” She quipped with a smile which quickly darkened as she seemed to have an epiphany. “Oh gosh you probably don’t know what popcorn is either.” She mumbled, visibly panicking.   
  
“I know what popcorn is.” He assured her as he took a seat in a lawn chair across from her. He could see her expression ease tremendously as if he had lifted an incalculable weight off her shoulders. This and so many other things about the dramatic woman perplexed him.   
  
“Well I should start from the beginning I guess. Do you know about the Great War?” She asked politely.   
  
“I’m not stupid.” He said though he felt increasingly more so lately. He swore she almost fell out of her chair at that.    
  
“Oh nonononono! I didn’t mean- I’m so sorry! I-“    
  
“It’s alright. I was joking.” Danse interrupted her slew of apologies. This woman was infuriating.   
  
She calmed and composed herself once more. “Right. Of course. Well on the day the Big Lady dropped I was put in a vault where they cryogenically froze me. I woke up about 6 months ago. I haven’t been outside for any of the past two hundred and something Halloweens so I didn’t realize vampires don’t exist anymore.” She explained like it was the most mundane thing ever.  Though it would explain why she was so pale. 

  
“Cryogenically frozen? I didn’t realize Vault-Tec was capable of that kind of technology. Did anyone else make it out with you?” He inquired. Nora’s face darkened and she seemed to think the question over in her head before answering him.   
  
“No. It was just me. I don’t know why it was just me but it was.” She said, her bubbly mannerisms fading. The juxtaposition of her mood was alarming to him and he felt it was best to leave the subject alone. He suppressed the old Brotherhood soldier in him wanting to ask her the location of the vault in pursuit of the advanced technology there. He glanced back at the woman who seemed as if her mood could never be assuaged. He didn’t know how to help her.   
  
He settled for changing the subject. “So what are vampires exactly?” He asked after an uncomfortable beat of silence in which the woman almost seemed content with brooding in. Her face brightened at his question and she visibly perked up. “I’m so glad you asked.”   



	3. Budge An Inch

Danse stepped out of the shack and into the outdoors. This time the sun was less intense in his eyes after spending all day outside talking with Nora. She was genuinely the strangest woman he’d ever met. Her emotions were all over the place at once and she seemed completely unable to hide them from anyone. Peculiarity of her degree was something he’d never encountered before, he wondered if that’s how people acted before the War. He decided that probably wasn’t true considering- as much as he hated admitting it- some pre-war ghouls seemed to act more normal than her.   
  
She had pleaded with him to stay another day before heading back to his camp, worried that his leg might be the death of him. He tried assuring her he was capable of taking care of himself- which she immediately apologized for implying regardless of the fact that she didn’t- but she still wouldn’t budge. He was at his wits end with her pestering and decided to stay for his own sake. She asked him if he’d like her to accompany him on his way back which he politely declined, holding back a laugh. She didn’t seem at all like the kind of woman who could handle dangerous situations in the southern parts of the Commonwealth, she would only be a burden to him. He didn’t say this aloud of course, afraid he might hurt her feelings and have her crying in front of the whole settlement. She nodded and left it alone after that.   
  
Presently he spotted the woman sitting at the same table they chatted around just the day before, alone and kicking back a bottle of Nuka Cola Quantum. He approached the woman to thank her one last time before heading out. She immediately put the bottle down as he sat down consequently spilling some of it onto her Vault suit. Danse couldn’t help but laugh at her floundering and she reddened at the sound. “Hello.” She said, putting emphasis on the ‘o’ as if she were embarrassed. He gave her a small wave in response.

 

“I just came to thank you before I get back to my camp.” He informed her. 

She shot him a surprised look and said, “Josephine went on a quick supply run but I can tell her you said thanks when she gets back if you want.”    
  
Danse internally groaned. “I actually wanted to thank you.” He gestured down the clothes on him. They seemed to have belonged to a much skinnier man so there were patches in the clothing to accommodate his larger form. Nora laughed. In daylight and out of those horrible rags and makeup Danse couldn’t help but notice she had a wonderful smile. Her hair, though now pulled back in a ponytail, framed her freckled face flatteringly. Freckles which she had an abundance of. He could even see small dimples in her cheeks when she smiled that way.   
  
“I am sorry again that there were no better clothes available. If you want you can stay here and wait for Josephine to get back, she might have some better fitting clothes for you.” She said hopefully. She clearly wanted him to stay as long as possible. She must’ve been lonely. Danse shook his head at her offer. “I should get back to my camp.” He said.   
  
“Oh, right. Where is your camp by the way?” Nora inquired.   
  
“It’s just a few miles from here. I’m running low on supplies so it is imperative I get back soon.” Danse said. He didn’t expect pity from the woman, he was simply telling her why it was important to get back. He didn’t expect pity from her, but of course that’s what he received.   
  
“You know I have people who do supply runs between my settlements. I could send one to your camp once a week if you’d like. It really would be no trouble.” She offered. He noticed how she mentioned having multiple settlements on multiple occasions and had yet to ask her about what she meant by that.   
  
“I appreciate the offer but I’m afraid I must refuse. I doubt I’d have the caps for it anyway.” He replied. 

 

She giggled at him. “I won’t charge you! Call it a friends discount. Except it’s free.” She clarified.   
  
Danse scuffed, “I can hardly just take supplies with nothing to give in return. That’s very kind but terribly unreasonable.” She looked pained by his response but it didn’t look like she was going to give up any time soon.   
  
“Helping you is payment enough. I wouldn’t be offering if I couldn’t afford it. Please let me.” She persisted. He couldn’t tell if she was charismatic or stubborn- or both. He’d be lying if he said he couldn’t use the help, but still he wasn’t comfortable taking. He was at a dilemma.   
  
“How is it you have so many settlements?” He asked. Her eyes widened, she clearly wasn’t expecting him to ask that.   
  
“I- well, I’m with the Minutemen.” She said. Danse forced himself to hold back a groan. He didn’t have anything against the Minutemen, but they were disorganized- and weak. Letting just anyone join without proper training or any background checks whatsoever was frankly not the smartest. That was likely the reason Nora was taken in he guessed. However, they seemed to be doing a lot of good for the people of the Commonwealth and for that he couldn’t complain too much.   
  
“So the Minutemen pay you well then?” He asked. 

 

She giggled, “In a way, I guess so.”   
  
Danse furrowed his brow. “How do you mean?” What other way could the Minutemen offer financial support? She must’ve been avoiding the question.   
  
“The Minutemen don’t pay me, I get paid doing jobs for settlers. I do a lot of jobs.” She answered.   
  
Danse noticed she had a way of getting around answering the question, not quite lying but not being truthful either. This bothered him, it wasn’t like he could keep hounding her for the answer he wanted- that would be rude. He thought about her offer again. He definitely could use the help but he had nothing to offer in return. She didn’t seem to care about that but Danse felt like she was hiding something. That made him uncomfortable, but then again the woman sitting before him didn’t look the least bit capable of betraying his trust.   
  


His gut told him yes. 

  
Maybe it would do him some good. “Ok Nora. I accept your offer, but I insist on repaying you when I decide how I’m going to do that exactly.” He said. She smiled and nodded as if she were trying to contain her excitement. She unstrapped her Pip-Boy from her arm and handed it to him. For a split second he was confused until he looked down at the map on it and realized she wanted him to mark his camp on it. So he did and handed it back to her and she put it back on and pressed a few more buttons and turned some dials before she looked back up to him and smiled.   
  
All without saying a word.   



	4. Bag And Baggage

When Danse arrived back at his camp he had plenty of work to do. Before leaving Nora’s settlement she gave him a pack full of Stimpacks, RadAway, MedX, and various containers of food. She hadn’t said exactly when the caravan would arrive so Danse just went about his normal business. It was almost strange being back, he hadn’t realized what just a few days of being social could do to such a recluse. His home didn’t feel the same anymore. He felt... lonely. Lonely like he hadn’t felt before.   
  
Sure he felt lonely when he fled the Brotherhood after finding out who- what- he was. But that was before he’d grown used to being alone, without purpose, ultimately useless to the world and himself, a synth. He couldn’t find it in himself to just put a gun in his mouth and rid the world of another abomination and abuse of technology. That only proved to him more that he was a failure. So he lived alone in aimless passivity, not living, just merely surviving.   
  
When he was attacked by those Mirelurks his immediate thought was that he was weak. The soldier in him had died out and he was a machine again. He was utterly disappointed in himself and almost felt pity for himself. And when the Mirelurk overpowered him he thought ‘This is it. Finally it’s over.’   
  
And then a bullet splattered its brains and his prize was ripped away from him.    
  
He almost found solace in the pain from his leg. Made him feel alive in a sense. Just admitting that made him disgusted with himself. He was not alive and he never would be. Just comparing himself to a real man was an insult to the human race, he knew it. Yet it seemed to be in his nature to think himself alive, and it only proved his point more. He was in a constant loop of self hatred, being alone only gave him more of a chance to do it.   
  
Maybe that’s why he was uncomfortable around Nora.   
  
He didn’t know. All he knew was that from the second she dragged him back to her settlement he hated the woman. How could anyone help a synth? The blood she stopped from pouring out of his leg wasn’t real. The skin that Mirelurk’s claws penetrated was not human skin. The pain contorting his face when she wrenched the claws off of his leg was not genuine. And yet she helped him.   
  
A part of him thanked her. His survival instincts maybe, if a synth could even have survival instincts. But the Brotherhood soldier still in him- however much he denied the validity of it- detested her for such naivety. Then again, naivety seemed to be in her nature. Maybe that’s all it came down to, their nature. Even if they despised it and denied it and ignored the truth of it.   
  
Maybe it’s who they were. But Danse didn’t want to be that way.   
  
There’s hardly time for that now, he thought as he began tidying the small crumpling building he resided in. He decided that he might as well appear somewhat put together. However unlikely, if word got back to Nora that his living situation wasn’t quite as stable as a Minutemen settlement he didn’t want her fussing over it and insisting on him moving into Sunshine Tidings or something. If she did that he might have the urge to shun her entirely out of annoyance. He stacked some of the old food packages he’d already gone through back onto his metal shelf to appear as if he had more food than he did. Adding some of the food Nora gave him to the shelf as well and putting her med kit into a cooler.   
  
He spent the rest of the afternoon doing other small tasks like cleaning his rifle and polishing his armor. Eventually the sun sank below the distant mountains and Danse settled down to sleep.   
  
It was several days before the caravan actually arrived to his camp. Danse was repairing one of his turrets when the pack Brahmin made its approach behind him. He stood on his now stable legs and wiped his grease covered hands on the rag tied at his waist. His grey t-shirt was stained with sweat and grime from the past two days of unmerciful heat and his pants were patterned with various stains from repairing. He slicked his greasy hair back in an attempt to appear somewhat presentable and made his way to the small caravan.   
  
  
He was surprised to find four boys and one girl had escorted the Brahmin, none of them appearing exceptionally skilled in combat and all very young. They were all in regular clothing and lacked armor, only three of them accompanied by short pipe pistols. He genuinely wondered how they could make it alone with pipe pistols and no armor without at least being robbed. His questions were soon answered when his eyes drifted to an approaching figure in military fatigues and combat armor.    
  
Was that... Nora? There was no way in Hell Nora guarded the caravan practically on her own.   
  
“Hello!” She waved at him. As she got closer he could see she was covered in blood and she smelled of fresh gunpowder. The tell-tale smile on her face that just screamed Nora confirmed his doubts. Danse struggled to contain his shock, eyeing her up and down as if it was someone else in her skin. She seemed to redden at his reaction and looked like she wanted to run away and hide under a bed. He quickly composed himself and replied with a quiet ‘hello.’   
  
One of the boys grabbed a clipboard from the side of one of the trunks on the Brahmin and read to him in a monotone voice. “Twenty one Stimpacks, nineteen RadAways, Ten MedX’s, a shipment of steel, a shipment of oil, thirty five purified waters, eight Nuka Cola Quantums, two containers of Nora’s Radstag stew, and three Deathclaw steaks.” He finished, rolling his eyes up to Danse.   
  
Danse looked between the boy and Nora who both held serious faces as if they were actually just handing over thousands of caps worth of supplies for free. “I’m sorry, what?” He replied. The boy sighed with a condescending smile.   
  
“Would you like me to repeat the list, sir?” He said. Danse looked to Nora for answers but she seemed completely unaware of his confusion, typical of her. “No, no I-I just didn’t expect so much.” He stuttered. The boy sighed again.   
  
“We can take it back if you don’t want it.” He said. At this Nora finally jumped in, seemingly shocked by the boy’s reply.   
  
“Nonononono, here let me take care of everything, why don’t you guys go in that little diner over there and see if there’s anything cool inside.” She said, grabbing the clipboard from the boy and pointing to a diner across the crumbled street. Danse watched the kids retreat into the diner and he heard Nora sigh out of exhaustion rather than teenage frustration.   
  
“He’s just a kid, I know. But sometimes he can be so rude.” She said as she went over the list again. “Did I forget anything? I made sure that they grabbed the Nuka Cola Quantums instead of the regular Nuka Colas because they’re the best, but now that I think of it you probably don’t even like them. Nuka Cola Orange might be your favorite for all I know and there I go presuming again.”   
  
Danse shook his head and put his hand over the list, earning him a confused look from Nora. “It’s all fine, but you didn’t need to bring so much.” He said. She shook her head and put the list down, crossing her arms over her chest.   
  
“I knew it. Everyone told me it was too much but I figured it was the first one so it didn’t matter but I guess you probably don’t even have enough room for it all. Or even the tools to do anything with some of it. I should have listened to them.” She mumbled. “You don’t have to take it all, I’d really prefer you did but I understand if you don’t have enough space for it.”   
  
Danse could almost laugh. “I have plenty of space, but this must’ve cost you- I can’t just take that from you for free. I haven’t even known you a week!” He explained.   
  
“I know, I know, but you need it much more than I do and trust me when I say, caps is the least of my worries.” She assured him.   
  
Danse shook his head, “I don’t mean to be a nuisance but I refuse to accept this without payment in return.” He crossed his arms stubbornly. Nora took a meager step forward and looked Danse straight in his eyes as if she were peering directly into his soul. Her eyes darting back and forth between his for a few moments before finally she sighed and hung her head low and mumbled something unintelligible.   
  
“I’m sorry?” Danse said. She looked back up to him, eyes wide and looking pained.   
  
“You’re not a nuisance.” She said and turned away from him, hanging up her clipboard on the pack Brahmin and snatching a Nuka Cola Quantum out of a basket. Danse looked at her quizzically as she gulped down half the bottle then turned around to face him once more.   
  
“I guess there’s one way you could repay me.” She said finally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sounds like the beginning of a porno lol


	5. Cold Comfort

“And how would that be?” Danse replied. He hadn’t expected Nora to give in, he thought he’d end up having to decline her offer altogether. But she seemed to realize how stubborn he planned on being so she finally did give in.

“You could join the Minutemen.” She said. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, as if she was bracing herself for his answer. He sighed, thinking it over. She cracked open an eye and calmed at his expression. He would never lose the soldier in him, he knew that. But did he deserve it?

“Are the Minutemen that desperate for recruits?” He laughed. She smiled at him, but he could see she was hiding something.

“No. In fact we probably have enough settlers to populate a small country.” She joked. Danse looked at the woman as he considered her offer. She stood with one leg crossed over the other and her arms tightly crossed as well. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail that reached just past her shoulder blades. He’d grown used to her strange personality, but she wasn’t what he was worried about.

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss being part of something bigger than himself.

“I’ll join.” He said. She looked up and the sadness clouding her eyes seemed to completely disappear as she beamed at him. Her eyebrows were raised so high her forehead became non existent. Danse couldn’t help but laugh, which she happily joined in on.

“So will you take this?” She said finally, gesturing to the pack Brahmin. Danse nodded and she hastily began unloading crates. They began a sort of routine of going back and forth between the caravan and his shelter carrying crates. She lifted a particularly heavy crate which immediately fell from her hands to the ground with a loud crash. She yipped and jumped back on one foot as Danse came out of the building. She quickly recovered and hurriedly went back to the crate as of worried something had broke.

“What happened?” He asked as he rushed to her side. She opened the crate and let out a sigh of relief as she saw everything was unbroken. Danse looked at her bewildered as he waited for her reply. She looked back at him and then seemed to remember his question.

“Oh! I dropped the crate on my toe, but don’t worry all the supplies are fine.” She assured him as she locked the crate back up. Danse put his hand on her arm, stopping her.

“Are you alright?” He asked. She looked at him as if she was shocked he would as such a thing.

She nodded, “I’m fine.” She said and continued carrying crates in. Danse took the heavy crate in himself. Within a few minutes the two of them finished and sat down at a table in Danse’s shelter. Nora was the first to speak, “So you’re a Minuteman now. How does it feel?” She said.

Danse laughed, “That’s it?” He said. Nora’s eyebrows furrowed as she gulped down the rest of her Quantum. “I mean there’s no enlisting process? I’m just in?”

 “Oh, yeah pretty much. I mean I used to have to tell Preston when we got new recruits but not anymore. Usually when settlers join the Minutemen we consider their settlement as one of ours but I figured you didn’t want to do that so I didn’t ask.” She said, then quickly added “But I shouldn’t figure, you can if you want to. It’s not an obligation though.”

“What would it mean if my camp was considered a Minutemen settlement?” He asked.

“Well we would just mark it on every Minutemen map and occasionally someone might stop by if they’re on a patrol and need some extra supplies or a place to sleep. But every settlement is restocked at the end of the week via the caravan.” She explained.

Danse nodded, “And you run the caravans?”

“Oh, absolutely not! I hate doing supply trains, I only did it this one time because the kids wanted to go on one. I don’t think they’re enjoying it as much as they thought they would, though. The caravan is run by different people every week depending on who’s available.” She said as she fiddled with something on her Pip-Boy.

“So what do you do?” He asked.

“What do I do? Well I-“ Nora was interrupted by a distress signal coming from the radio on her Pip-Boy. Danse looked at her worriedly as they listened to the man on the radio.

“ _The Castle is under attack, any and all Minutemen in the vicinity please report to the Castle for backup. Attention-.._ ” the voice repeated. Nora looked up to Danse as she picked her rifle up from beside her and stood. He stood after her and shrugged on his leather jacket.

“You should stay here and watch the kids. I don’t want to bring them right into an active standoff.” Nora said, assertiveness taking hold in her tone. She almost seemed a completely different woman. Danse nodded as they both left the building. “I’ll come back for them when the fighting is over, shouldn’t be too long. The Castle isn’t far.” She said before waving goodbye and walking in the opposite direction of him. He stood in bewilderment for a moment, watching her retreat in a jog before his brain caught up to him and he started walking towards the diner across the street, the limp completely gone from his step and feeling a fresh sense of purpose.

He almost wanted to be in battle with Nora, hoped he wouldn’t just be a babysitter for the Minutemen. When he entered the crumpled building the teenagers were sitting in one of the rotting booths and chatting away.

He approached them and began explaining the situation, “Nora had to leave to aid in a fight at the Castle, she told me to keep you here until she gets back.” The kids all glanced between each other before looking back to Danse and bursting out with laughter.

Danse wondered what was so funny while he waited for them to stop laughing. It seemed to go on forever, each of them wheezing and struggling to catch their breath in between cackles. He wondered if he had something on his face and got a bit nervous that it had been there since he was chatting with Nora. If there was something on his face, she certainly hadn’t said anything about it.

Finally one of the kids composed herself and said, “Wait guys, we should hurry up and get there before all the fightings over.” She turned to Danse, “Did Nora say who was attacking?”

The rest of the kids seemed to finally stop laughing as one of them responded through gritted teeth, “Synths.” He said. The kids once again shared looks between each other.

“What? I thought the Institute was dunzo, how are there still synths?” A boy asked.

The girl once again spoke up, “Nora let some of them go, the ones who still wanted to live.” Danse stood there and listened while the children went back and forth about the Institute.

It had blown up? He never heard anything about that- how had he not heard about that? She let some go? Well it seemed that came back to bite her in the ass.

The youngest of the group chimed in, “My mom says synths are all evil and should all be exterminated. What do you guys think?” He said.

All of the kids groaned at that. “George your mom’s full of it, you should know better than to be listening to her.” The boy with curly hair said and rolled his eyes.

“Just because there are some evil synths like the one that tried to blow Ms. Bowman’s head off, doesn’t mean they’re all bad. I mean, Mr. Valentine is kinda like a dad to me.” The oldest boy said again. The girl nodded at him and the other kids all said ‘yeah.’

Danse had never been so frustrated in his life.

“Well I never said I agreed with her!” George piped, “I don’t even know why they let her join.”

The girl spoke again, “We don’t agree with your mother but you know the Minutemen don’t mind. Listen George, you’re mamas a nice lady. And yeah she can be ignorant sometimes, but we’re not gonna deny her help just ‘cause of that.” She said.

“You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, Elysium.” The boy with curly hair said. The girl- Elysium- nodded and said a quick ‘thank you.’

They all seemed to remember Danse’s presence at once and turned to face him. “You’ve got to bring us to the Castle sir, we’re gonna show those synths the Minutemen mean business.” The oldest said. All of the kids agreed with another ‘yeah.’

Danse shook his head, “Nora told me to keep you all here, it’s dangerous.”

The boys laughed again and Elysium said, “We’re not stupid mister, we know it’s gonna be dangerous. But nobody brave ever backed down in the face of danger when they gotta defend their home.” The kids all cheered and nodded.

Danse admired the girl’s bravery- soldier material- but stood by Nora’s orders. “You’re too young to fight.” He said.

All of the kids seemed to grow red with anger but Elysium calmed them down. “You can’t keep us from going home sir. We can’t let you.” She said standing. The other kids stood too- save for the youngest, George, who seemed too scared to.

Danse sighed, he hoped they wouldn’t get too demanding.

The youngest spoke up again, “But guys, didn’t you hear him? He said Ms. Nora wants us to stay here. Plus I’m not too keen on getting killed, all we got is pipe pistols.” The boys groaned and sat down again, leaving Elysium the only one standing.

One of the boys tugged at her sleeve to get her to sit down but she looked Danse in his face. Her eye contact wavered for a moment like she was debating what to do before finally sitting down with a huff. “I’m only stayin ‘cause it’s Nora. Don’t want her to have a heart attack on us now.” Elysium said.

“So much for defending your home, Elysium.” That was the quiet one, the one who barely listened to a thing the others said. She crossed her arms and sneered at him.

“Watch it, Ray. I know where you sleep at night.” Elysium growled.

George whined, “Guyyyyys, we can’t turn on each other, you remember what Ms. Nora always says?”

“United we stand, divided we fall.” The boys said in tandem.

George smiled brightly. “Exactly! We can’t go off fightin civil wars in our friend groups or we’ll fail. Just like the first Minutemen.” He said.

“Now you sound just like Elysium.” Ray said with a grunt. All the kids looked at him like they wanted to argue but ended up just turning away and changing the subject.

“Mister do you know when Ms. Nora might get back?” George said in his tinny voice.

Elysium answered before Danse could speak, “You know it won’t take her long at all. Walking there is what’s gonna take the longest.”

George nodded and then added, “Say sir, hows it you met Ms. Nora?” Danse looked at the child as Elysium pulled a chair over for him and he sat down.

George was seated closest to the window in the seat left of the table with two other boys next to him. The boy in the middle was the one who read him the list when they first arrived, he seemed as if he was immensely uncomfortable. The boy next to him was much older than all of them, very tall with blonde hair. He seemed to enjoy being in the company of the other four kids. On the right side of the table Elysium sat with a boy who seemed older than her but was quiet and almost shy looking, the curly haired boy.

Danse looked back to the youngest, “Nora? She helped me- out of a.. difficult situation.” He said. All of the kids, except the uncomfortable one made an ‘ooh’ sound, intrigued with his story. “But why don’t you guys introduce yourselves?” He said, not wanting to explain how he had to take help from the Minutemen.

They all perked up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I mentioned before but this entire fic is basically already written. I have a few chapters here and there to write but it’s looking like 70 chapters where I’m sitting. Likely more. Maybe less if I cut out excessive smut LOL. Anyway, I’m releasing two chapters tonight because- even though these 5 have been done since I started posting- I always forget to post. Thought I should make up for the long ass wait in-between. :)


	6. Harm In Us But Power To Arm

Around the same time the day after Nora’s departure and promise of a courier’s visit the latter arrived at Danse’s camp with a woman. Danse was eager to meet the two after a very long and anxious day of waiting. The man approached with his hand just above the holster of his gun whereas the woman- he assumed she was the Doctor considering her lack of a defensive position- lingered behind him. “Excuse me sir, are you Danse?” he shouted.

Danse nodded. ‘Great’ the man said and walked closer. He shook his hand and regarded him politely. “I’m here on behalf of the Minutemen as I’m sure you’re aware. Firstly my name is Cooper I will act as your Courier for as long as you remain in Sector 7 and this,” He gestured to the woman standing beside him, “Is Curie who will be conducting your physical today.”

“Hello.” She said with a thick accent and a smile. She also shook his hand. Curie reached behind Cooper and grabbed from his backpack two clipboards. She handed him one while she held the other under her arm. 

The man continued, “Before we do the physical I first need to ask you some very basic questions so that we can make sure you are all filed and then we will send this information to the Captain of whichever you’re assigned.” Danse nodded. A sudden feeling of deja vu filled his chest and he sighed. 

“Firstly, your full name, age, height, weight, sex.” 

“Danse Saramago, 28, 6’2, somewhere around 180 pounds although it has been over a year since I have checked. Male.” 

Cooper nodded as he wrote this all down on his clipboard and then looked up with a hesitant smile. “Now, we understand that this may be a sensitive question but we are obligated to ask.” He paused as if to wait for an objection. After a short moment he resumed, “Are you a generation 3 synth produced by the Institute or any other organization or of any other artificial origin? That includes any possible cybernetic enhancements you may possess. This does not affect your ability to enlist.” 

Danse gulped and nodded, “Generation 3 Insitute synth, sir.” The other man thanked him and wrote it down, Curie did the same. 

The woman then spoke up suddenly, “And do you know when you were originally created and if you were considered eligible as a courser by the scientists at the Institute? We understand that it may be difficult to remember, just try your best.” 

He shook his head, “I don’t know.” He shuddered at the thought and pushed it out of his mind. The woman smiled sympathetically at his reaction. 

“We completely understand. In the future you may be asked the same by another doctor, by then you would be enlisted so you won’t be obligated to respond. Furthermore everything we ask you is classified so no one else will know what you’ve told us other than your commanding officer.” 

Danse was grateful to hear this, and felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his chest. Curie spoke again, “Are you ready to begin the physical, Mounsier?” He nodded.

The physical was just the same as the Brotherhood of Steel which is to say, he easily passed. He was filled with pride remembering the lessons his past commanding officers taught him. After the physical was finished they asked him a few more questions. 

Cooper said, “You are no doubt capable to join as a footsoldier, we just need to know your preferred weapon of choice and which Sector you would like to be stationed in, though remember you may be assigned a mission outside of your preferred Sector by your commanding officer. This is just so we can keep in mind the unique ability of every soldier.” Then Curie showed him a map of all of the Sectors in the Commonwealth.

He chose a laser rifle and Sectors 5, 6, and 7. The east coast, Cambridge, and the center of Boston. They wrote all of this down and Curie took from the backpack a portable terminal in which she typed this all in. A short moment later she looked up and said, “You have been assigned to Sector 7, lucky you. Your commanding officer is Captain Ronnie Shaw at The Castle. We have listed your mission preference as Sectors 5, 6 and 7 so your first mission will likely be in one of those areas. You can report to Ronnie Shaw as soon as you’re ready and she will be waiting for you. She may ask you to do further training as she sees fit and you can always talk to Preston Garvey if you would like to change any of this.” 

Danse interjected, “Who is Preston Garvey?” 

“Preston is second-in command beside the General, Nora. You’ve met her, so I’ve been told.” Cooper responded. Danse nodded, and suddenly he remembered she mentioned his name at some point. He hardly even noticed she called Nora the General. He was slightly overwhelmed with everything that had just been thrown at him.

Cooper continued, “We hope you have the proper means to make the journey to the Castle however we understand that it is a long trek from here to there so we are giving you a compensation of 200 caps in the event that you may need to stop for food or ammunition. Again we thank you for joining our cause, if you have any questions now is the time to ask. Otherwise we will be on our way and we hope to see you again.” Danse said his goodbyes and watched the man and woman depart.   
Immediately, he went back into his shelter to pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is lyrics from Leave It Open by Kate Bush


End file.
